The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys: North Carolina’s

The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys: North Carolina’s Scott Family and the Era of Progressive Politics

Louisiana had the Longs, Virginia had the Byrds, Georgia had the Talmadges, and North Carolina had the Scotts. In this history of North Carolina's most influential political family, Rob Christensen tells the story of the Scotts and how they dominated Tar Heel politics. Three generations of Scottsâ€”W. Kerr Scott, Robert Scott, and Meg Scott Phippsâ€”held statewide office. Despite stereotypes about rural white southerners, the Scotts led a populist and progressive movement strongly supported by rural North Caroliniansâ€”the so-called Branchhead Boys, the rural grassroots voters who lived at the heads of tributaries throughout the heart of North Carolina. Though the Scotts held power in various government positions in North Carolina for generations, they were instrumental in their own downfall. From Kerr Scott's regression into reactionary race politics to Meg Scott Phipps's corruption trial and subsequent prison sentence, the Scott family lost favor in their home state, their influence dimmed and their legacy in question.

Weaving together interviews from dozens of political luminaries and deep archival research, Christensen offers an engaging and definitive historical account of not only the Scott family's legacy but also how race and populism informed North Carolina politics during the twentieth century.

Country	USA
Brand	The University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer	The University of North Carolina Press
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9781469651040
ReleaseDate	2019-05-13
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781469651040

The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys: North Carolina’s Scott Family and the Era of Progressive Politics